During the full-scale war, Russians stole dozens of thousands of cultural heritage objects from Ukraine. The exact number of such items is now unknown and the return may take many years.

Deputy culture minister Kateryna Chuieva said that as of now, the work is ongoing to clarify the numbers, at least in those places that are accessible after liberation. Currently, it is about dozens of thousands of displaced objects.

Chuieva noted that determining the exact amount of objects stolen by Russia ‘is a difficult and lengthy process’. Russians took away not only art objects, but also documentation, which complicates the restoration process. According to the deputy minister, this is very painstaking work and it takes much time.

The Ministry of Culture also does not know how quickly all cultural values of Ukraine will be returned.

‘Even if we know exactly where all these items are, such processes through legal proceedings can take a very long time. We are talking about years. Let us hope not about dozens of years’, the deputy minister stressed.